


Too Late

by ToujoursMiraculous



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Chat can't wait forever, F/M, Fear, Moving on but not really wanting to, Pain, Regret, Wanting to be together but won't say it, somebody else - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-12
Updated: 2017-11-12
Packaged: 2019-02-01 04:05:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,602
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12696972
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ToujoursMiraculous/pseuds/ToujoursMiraculous
Summary: What if our favorite cat realizes he can't wait around forever for his Lady?Because there isn't a happily-ever-after for everyone, after all....





	Too Late

**Author's Note:**

> **Warning:** If you only like reading fics where these adorable dorks end up together, this is not the fic for you. Please take a look at my previous one-shot, Identities, and look out for more up-beat one-shots to come, as well as my ongoing stories that all feature some form of our beloved Love Square! 
> 
> Inspired by Ebony Day's cover of Somebody Else by The 1975, Can't Forget You by My Darkest Days, and You're Gone by Bii.

Chat Noir was quiet that evening, his usual flirty puns and outright cockiness had yet to make an appearance. Even through the hardest of times, Chat would still manage a line or two. Ladybug saw this silence as a major red flag, and although she was afraid to ask him about it, she plucked up the courage anyway.

"Chat... is... everything alright? You're uncharacteristically quiet tonight." 

Ladybug had been watching his expressions all evening, and they had ranged from content to secretly pleased, however he had barely uttered two sentences since they met to patrol over an hour prior.

He turned to her, his face falling slightly. Though it wasn't enough to hide the light that shone in his eyes.

"Everything's great, I just don't know how to tell you this."

"Tell me what?" Ladybug eyebrow raised, but with piqued interest. 

Chat took a deep breath, his eyes closing in concentration. "It finally hit me awhile ago, that you're not going to return my feelings-"

Ladybug opened her mouth to speak, her eyes wide, but Chat held up a hand, indicating that he wanted to finish.

"If you just want to be partners, or maybe even friends, I shouldn't force myself on you every day, when you clearly don't see me as anything more than your partner. Though I'd hope that you would think of me as a friend. It took me a long time to come to that conclusion, and even longer to accept it, but I'm able to do so now."

Her eyebrows furrowed. For some reason, she didn't like the fact that Chat Noir was giving up on her.

"Oh?" she breathed, "What changed?" her voice an octave too high to be natural, and very strained.

"I met someone."

Several feelings at once coursed through her body, none of which felt pleasant.  
She couldn't decipher what any of them were at the moment, and Chat Noir was looking at her with a warm and beautiful smile on his face, expecting a response.

She vaguely wondered what her own face looked like, because if it reflected any of the sudden storm that was raging on the inside....

"You did? Well that's great, Chat," she heard herself reply automatically, in the politest of tones. It didn't sound natural to her ears.

Chat's smile grew larger, and he looked down at the ground with a chuckle, scratching the back of his head before glancing up at Ladybug. "Yeah, she's great. We met at a club at school, and it turns out we have a lot in common."

Ladybug at this point just felt numb. She didn't understand why, but moving anything at all felt like it would take exceptional effort. 

"Ahhh, look at the time," he groaned when he checked the time on his baton. "I've got to get up early tomorrow. Same time on Thursday?" he asked cheerfully, looking even more perky than he had been all evening.

She managed a nod and a weak smile. 

"Cool. See you then, if not before," Chat said as his parting line. He gave her a two-finger salute, before she watched him disappear into the city lights.

Clearly she had made an effort to keep herself together, because the second he was out of sight, it was as if Pandora's Box had been opened within her.

Ladybug fell to her knees, her chest aching in a way that she automatically put her hand over it, as if she could take the ache away. 

 

 _Why does this hurt?_ she wondered. _What did I expect would happen someday, when I kept turning him away? Shouldn't I be happy for him?_

She sorted through her feelings. And as much as she wanted to find "happiness" among them, it was nowhere to be found. Instead, all she could come across was _dread, jealousy,_ and _unbearable sadness_ and a few other emotions she couldn't quite place. 

After a few moments, another feeling cropped up that she finally uncovered... _love_.

This was a feeling she was very familiar with, just not for Chat.

Although she knew that if Adrien did not exist, she would've looked at him differently, she never let herself really think about Chat Noir in that light. But it turned out, she had anyway without ever realizing.

 

She made it home, mumbled "Tikki, spots off," and then Marinette collapsed backwards onto her chaise.

"Marinette...?" Tikki squeaked hesitantly.

"If doing what I _thought_ was best, and not what I _felt_ was best was the right decision, then why do I feel so... so...?" she couldn't finish her question.

Tikki hovered above Marinette. "Neither of them were right, and neither of them were wrong. One would keep you both safe, and the other would make you happy. You chose the selfless option, to keep him safe, to keep everyone you know safe." 

Marinette's heart ached. Right then she wished she would've just been selfish instead, would've done what he wanted and let him know who she was, return his feelings.

"And then there was of course Adrien that kept you back...."

"A-Adrien..." she muttered, sitting up. She glanced over at all the posters she had of him on her wall. She still had him, right?

And thinking about seeing him the next day helped calm her enough to fall asleep.

 

\---

The next morning, Marinette had bags under her eyes, and they were rimmed with red from crying.  
She was very irritated that that alley cat was responsible for her crying the night before, and she would most definitely deny it if he ever asked her about it.

 

On her way to school, she barely glanced up from the pavement, and suddenly heard a lot of buzz coming from the front of the school.

"Marinette!" she heard someone shout.  
Alya broke away from the crowd, and jogged up to her best friend. 

"Girl, why don't we go visit the bakery before school, I could sure use some croissants this morning!" she rushed, tugging Marinette away from the school and back towards her home.

Marinette reluctantly started to go along. "W-What's going on, Alya?"

"I just..." she sighed. "I was hoping you wouldn't have to find out about it yet. Of course, the one day you're actually _on time_ for school...." she pinched the bridge of her nose.

"What are you talking about?"

Alya gave her an apologetic look, and motioned back towards the school.  
Through a break in the crowd that surrounded them, Marinette could see Adrien with a girl she had spoken to a couple of times, and fought once as an akuma, Kagami. 

And his arm was around her.

It took a few moments for what she was witnessing to sink in, and when it did, any bit of hope and happiness she still felt after last night with Chat, had been extinguished. 

"I'm so sorry, Marinette. I -"

But Marinette held up a hand to stop her.

"It's fine, Alya," she said with a smile, and began walking towards the crowd.

Alya just watched her go, in absolute shock. She knew she must be dying inside, and yet instead of going home or freaking out or _something_ , she smiled and planned to face it head on.

As much as she admired her friend for her bravery, she couldn't help but worry.

 

In class, everyone was gossiping about it, and Chloe was extremely irritable, practically shouting at Sabrina, who cowered back in her seat.

Marinette sat down, and before she could stop herself, she looked down at the blonde boy that sat in front of her with a very unsettled look. 

"Want to switch seats?" Alya whispered.

She nodded after a moment. At least if she switched, she could turn her head away enough so he wasn't in her direct line of sight.

Nino noticed the switch taking place behind them and sighed.

"What?" Adrien asked in response.

"It's nothing," he replied immediately, turning his head away from Adrien as well.

After Alya had told him that Marinette had feelings for Adrien, he started paying more attention to their interactions.  
He would notice how her eyes would grow wide with excitement when Adrien approached, the blush that would touch her face, and the smile that appeared whenever she talked about him.

Should he tell his best friend about it? Marinette was his friend too after all, and he wanted her to be happy. But he didn't want to sabotage his bud's new relationship if he was happy, either. The boy deserved happiness.

Nino gave Alya an anxious glance, that Alya returned before she looked down at Adrien's blond locks.

 

___

Halfway through class, Alya's phone began to beep violently. She announced to the class that there was an akuma attack nearby.  
With what seemed to be routine at this point, the class filed out with the teacher. Ms. Bustier made sure that leaving the school was safe for the students before she let them go home.

While running towards the subway entrance for a secluded place to transform, Marinette noticed Adrien running up ahead, and he too was heading for the subway. This caught her attention, considering his home was but a block away.

Picking up her pace, she followed right behind him. Marinette saw him duck behind a wall, heard him him shout, "Plagg, claws out!" before she saw a brief green glow, and Chat Noir emerge from behind it, and raced up the stairs.  
Hugging the other side of the same wall he transformed behind, she held her breath as her heart raced, her heartbeat pounding in her ears. 

No way. No way was this real.  
This whole entire thing had to be a dream, right? Things couldn't possible have changed so much so fast.  
Chat Noir giving up on Ladybug? Adrien dating a girl he barely knows? Chat and Adrien turning out to be one-in-the-same?

"Marinette!" squeaked Tikki, snapping Marinette out of her thoughts. 

She shook her head with one quick movement, apologized to her Kwami, and transformed.

___

Once the akuma had been purified, and the victim free from Hawkmoth's grip, instead of giving an excuse to leave as per usual, Ladybug just stood there and stared at Chat, comparing Adrien to Chat Noir and fitting together the pieces that she never could before. 

"Are you okay, LB?"

She felt a pang of disappointment at not being called "M'lady", but it was to be expected. She wasn't his lady anymore.

"I'm fine," she lied.

His eyebrows furrowed, as he could tell she was certainly not fine, despite her effort to convince him otherwise. But before he could say anything more, she began to back away.

"Good work today. See you Thursday," she departed, throwing her yo-yo at the nearest building and swinging away. But she didn't manage to get away in time to keep him from seeing the single tear that silently slipped down her face.

 

___

One evening later that week, Chat Noir decided he wanted some time to himself to see the city at night, as it was his favorite time of the day and the only time he could never be out as Adrien. He escaped his gigantic and lonely room, into the vibrant city. Despite being a superhero too, he didn't really picture her roaming the city on random days where there was no patrol planned, nor an akuma attack. But there she was, flying above the rooftops, above him...  
He watched Ladybug leap onto a roof, and then she suddenly disappeared before his eyes.

On instinct, Chat moved forward to investigate, heading for the spot he last saw her. But as he approached the building, he realized where he was. 

Marinette Dupain-Cheng's family bakery. 

Wondering what business she could possibly have there, he jumped up onto the roof, and peered in through the window.

He was expecting to see Ladybug chatting with Marinette, but it surprised him when he only saw one of the two.  
Marinette was lying on her chaise, her hands covering her eyes, and her mouth moving.  
She was talking to someone? He looked everywhere around the room, but he couldn't see anyone there, much less Ladybug. 

Then he saw it, a little red Kwami, hovering right by her head.

Chat gasped, and lost his grip on the roof momentarily, beginning to slip backwards before he caught himself. 

"...Marinette?" he whispered.

His Lady was his friend Marinette all along? The girl he admired greatly, the girl he thought was so much cooler, so much better than him, amazing in every way, who he already thought was out of his league. 

No wonder Ladybug pushed Chat Noir away, and Marinette shied away from Adrien. Finding out Marinette's identity confirmed the fears he had been harboring all along, if her behavior around both of his identities as both of hers was anything to go by. She really didn't have any interest in him then.  
As this realization hit, with drooping ears, and one last look back at her, Chat left his partner's house with yet another secret to keep, and another weight in his heart.

___

At school the next day, Marinette and Adrien barely spared a glance at one another. Their best friends caught on that there was a problem on both sides, and tried to help them fix it, but problems can never be worked out when there isn't any communication. Of course neither could tell their best friends that a huge part of the problem lied with their superhero lives, and giving them the bare minimum would make the problem seem like an easy fix so it was not an option. Thus, whenever the topic was brought up, they would put on their best, most convincing front and lie that it was really nothing to be concerned about.

Ladybug and Chat Noir fought akumas and other villains together as a team, never having a problem bringing them down. But the dynamic hadn't been the same since the night Chat told her he was seeing someone else.  
Chat had stopped his flirting, and calling her by her nicknames, apart from LB. He only used puns when speaking to those he was fighting, still managing to make Ladybug smile and roll her eyes, even though they were never meant for her.

And he never noticed her reactions to him, all he saw when he did look at her was that she no longer smiled and she was twice as serious as she had ever been before, something he had never thought possible.  
Several times he would ask her if something was wrong, and if she wanted to talk about it, but each time she would reply, "I'm fine Chat Noir, really," and use that to leave the scene.

___

 

 

Weeks began turning into months, and months into years. 

Adrien and Marinette no longer saw each other. They attended separate universities, and made completely different sets of friends. Though both were still very close to Nino and Alya, their best friends knew they could never hang out with both at the same time.

Marinette would sometimes hear updates about Adrien through Alya. Recently, Adrien had convinced his father to let him attend culinary school. It was a passion of his to become one of the best bakers in France, and run one of the best pâtisserie's the country had ever seen. He was also still dating Kagami, whose dream was to have her name be as big in the world of fencing as her mother's and grandfather's.

Nino had told him that Marinette was doing well in fashion school, which was not surprising to him in the slightest. She was actually excelling from what he knew, he had heard her name being dropped once at a fashion event he had attended with his father, which is no small feat. He had almost wanted to let her know about it, but he stopped himself before he had pressed 'send'.  
Marinette had also started dating Luka, Juleka's brother, a couple of years back after he began attending their school. In some ways, the guy reminded him of himself, particularly with his jokes, and he couldn't help but go off alone somewhere to brood over why she would like Luka and not him whenver he'd see them together. But ultimately, it was her choice to be with who she wanted, and if Luka made her happy, then who was he to interfere?

Whenever they saw each other behind the masks, they were polite and friendly, but never silly and outgoing like they used to be when they were kids. They knew they cared about each other, but both did a good job at keeping hidden just how much. Occasionally, they would ask each other questions, like how they were doing, or if anything new was going on, nothing too serious that would lead into major conversations.  
A new habit Chat had picked up was how he'd part ways with her. Nowadays, he'd give her a slight bow of the head, address her as "Ladybug" before heading out.

Not that being in each other's company was unpleasant, but Ladybug felt an aching in her heart whenever she was around him. Sometimes she still expected her kitty to come back to her with his goofy grin, his overbearing flirty nature, and his incessant puns, but he never showed up. Part of her heart never gave up on him, and waited for his return. 

 

\---

Chloe was hosting a reunion for their class, and everyone was invited.  
Marinette was hesitant to show up, her excuse being her upcoming deadlines, but Alya, Nino, and Luka dragged her away from her work.

Alya, in charge of their class's blog, insisted that she get pictures of Marinette and Adrien with their significant others to show off. 

Hesitantly, the two agreed to pose for the photograph. Each one sparing a longing glance at the other before their attention was brought back to Alya.

"Alright everyone, three, two, one....Girl, you're not smiling. You've got to smile! And Adrien, you're a model. I _know_ you can do better than this! Kagami, Luka, you two are perfect. Don't move. Let's try this again!"

It took five attempts before she could produce a picture that would pass as blog-worthy, although it was far from great.

"I give up," she grumbled as she let her camera fall, the strap pulling around her neck. "You two are hopeless." Alya stormed off with Nino in tow to take pictures and chat with some of their other classmates.

"Hey Adrien, how's it going?" Luka greeted with a warm smile, holding out his hand for a handshake.  
Adrien gave him a half smile back, shaking his hand. "It's going good, I've been offered an internship down in Marseille. I'll be there for a couple of years."

Marinette's face fell at the news. 

"Oh wow, congratulations! How funny, Marinette's gotten an internship as well."

Adrien glanced over at Marinette who was half hidden behind Luka. "Really?"

"Y-Yeah, I'm going to London for at least a year."

Luka put his arm around Marinette's shoulder. "I'll be going over to London with her. I just don't feel comfortable with her being in a big, unfamiliar city on her own."

 _She's probably more capable at protecting herself than you are,_ Adrien thought to himself bitterly. 

"I'm so happy for you, Marinette!" Kagami gushed. "Congratulations."

Marinette smiled. "Thanks Kagami."

Luka and Kagami excused themselves to go grab some food and talk to some classmates. Which left Marinette and Adrien awkwardly in each other's company.

"So... when are you heading to London?" he asked as he scratched the back of his neck.

"Two weeks. When do you head south?"

"Tomorrow, actually. First thing in the morning."

Marinette's mouth popped open, "O-Oh. So soon, huh?" she laughed nervously.

"Yeah, it was kind of sudden."

Marinette nodded. They fell into silence, both of them dying to say something to the other.

"Um, Marinette? There's something that I need to say -"

But before he could even finish his sentence, an akuma struck the hotel. Probably one of the guests, but it didn't matter. 

It took Ladybug and Chat hours to fight off the akumas. Yes, Hawkmoth used this party as an excuse to release more than one for whatever reason. Ladybug made a brief comment that Hawkmoth must be in a particularly bad mood that night to release so many.

After everything was said and done, it was 3 AM, and Adrien's flight was at 5:30.  
Knowing that this would be the last time she'd see him for years, maybe even longer, she couldn't hold back the tears that were burning her eyes. And she didn't care that she had been putting up a front for years either, keeping her emotions away from both Adrien and Chat. 

Without warning, she launched herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck as he stumbled backwards in surprise. They hadn't had any physical contact in so long. It took him a few seconds to understand what was going on before he wrapped his arms around her waist in response.

He heard her sniffle once, before she whispered, "goodbye".  
Without another look back, she sprinted away from him, launching her yo-yo wildly away from her, and was gone.

"Goodbye, m'lady," he whispered gently to the air.

Everything he had wanted to tell her, about her identity, his identity. About his feelings for her that he had kept bottled up all of these years, and his fears. He thought he was going to tell her before it was too late. Little did he know, he had already been too late.

**Author's Note:**

> Please let me know what you think of this one-shot by leaving a comment or kudos!
> 
> Follow me on tumblr @toujoursmiraculous for more fanfiction and other ML-related posts~


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